Planned Parenthood Advocates Lobby for Access in Austin

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“The collective power we have in our stories when we speak out and are bold in our support of the health care that Planned Parenthood provides is greater than anyone who tries to silence us.”

Courtney Caruthers, President of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Prairie View A&M, spoke these words of wisdom on the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin at Lobby Day last week. Courtney and nearly 200 Houston supporters traveled to Austin to join with hundreds more pink-clad advocates at the Texas Capitol to declare our support for the essential and lifesaving health care services that Planned Parenthood provides. Together with advocates from around the state, we made it clear that Texans won’t stand for attacks on our reproductive rights or policies that restrict patients’ access to care at Planned Parenthood.

During this Texas legislative session, we are facing more of the same extremist attacks on access to health care. Emboldened by an anti-choice majority on the Supreme Court, politicians are racing to see which state will be the first to file the bill that overturns Roe v. Wade. Extremists in Austin have already filed bills to ban abortion at 6 weeks, when most people don’t know they’re pregnant, and to criminalize women who have abortions and doctors who care for them.

However, the greatest threats to access this session are SB 22 and HB 1929. These identical bills would forbid local governments from partnering with trusted community health organizations like Planned Parenthood. These bills fly in the face of local control and put public health at risk by preventing local governments from working with Planned Parenthood to protect and improve the community’s health and during disaster situations.